Becoming the Hunted
by Sun's Rayz
Summary: The four Clans' time of peace has ended. Warriors are now becoming the hunted as mysterious murders keep happening one after the other. After the death of ThunderClan apprentice, Blackpaw, Sunpaw finds herself wondering who could be doing all of this without leaving a trace. With the death of another warrior, Rushstar sends Sunpaw out as a spy to figure out who's behind this.
1. Allegiances & Prologue

**Allegiances**

**ThunderClan**

* * *

_Leader:_

** Rushstar**- large black and white tom with amber eyes, mated with Oakflower

_Deputy:_

**Aspenfur**- small ginger tabby she-cat, mother of Sunpaw and Marigoldpaw, sister of Redbelly

_Apprentice, Stonepaw_

_Medicine Cat:_

**Redbelly**- red tabby tom with amber eyes

_Warriors:_

**Badgerfoot**- black tom, mated with Silverfeather

_Apprentice, Leafpaw_

**Silverfeather**- light gray tabby she-cat, mated with Badgerfoot

_Apprentice, Marigoldpaw_

**Ravenfur**- slender black tom; cocky and loud, former mentor of Blackpaw

**Thrushpelt**- pale tabby she-cat; tough and hard to please, but friendly

_ Apprentice, Sunpaw_

**Specklewing**- tortoiseshell she-cat; somewhat nervous and unsure

**Sootwhisker**- dark gray tom with gray eyes; senior warrior, past two mates died kitting

_Apprentice, Graypaw_

**Finchtail**- brown tabby tom with green eyes

_Apprentices:_

**Sunpaw**- bright golden tabby she-cat with blue eyes (sister of Marigoldpaw)

**Marigoldpaw**- white she-cat with golden tabby patches with amber eyes (sister of Sunpaw)

**Stonepaw**- gray and white tom with blue eyes (brother of Blackpaw)

**Leafpaw**- brown tabby she-cat

** Graypaw**- gray tabby tom with amber eyes

_Queens:_

**Oakflower**- tortoiseshell she-cat, mated with Rushstar: Lightningkit (dark golden brown tabby tom), Larkkit (tortoiseshell and white she-cat), Mousekit (dusky brown she-cat)

_Elders:_

**Snowclaw**- white tom, former mentor to Aspenfur

**Duskcloud**- light brown she-cat

* * *

**Setting**

The territories by the Lake, far into the future from the last point in the books.

* * *

**Prologue**

"What do you see?"

"Darkness. I don't think the Clans have seen as much blood as they soon will see."

Two cats sat beside a star-lit pool. One small and white, the other large and gray. The gray one shook his head sadly and took a step away from the pool.

"Only light can expose the darkness."

There was a silence.

"Is that the prophecy?" the little cat whispered in awe. The older gray tom dipped his head, wisdom sparkling in his blue eyes.

"Yes, Snowpaw. I just received it from Starpool." He fixed his blue gaze on the younger tom. "This one will be challenging. I only hope that the Clans will be strong enough to make it through this."

"They will, Stormfall, they will," a she-cat's voice murmured softly. "We'll relay the message once it begins."

Then, there was a very distant yowl, almost like a memory floating back to the surface. Hair on end, the three cats nodded gravely.

"It already has."


	2. Chapter 1: Blackpaw's Death

**Chapter 1**

**Blackpaw's Death**

* * *

"But who would have done this?" A light gray tabby she-cat wailed sorrowfully. At her paws lay the lifeless body of a small black tom. His pelt bore deep claw marks which were still oozing fresh blood. "Come back to me, Blackpaw." Her words were a mournful whisper.

"A very fowl cat, Silverfeather," a large black and white tom replied, the Queen's sadness reflected in his amber eyes. He shook his head slowly. "He's with StarClan now."

"Who did this? Was it a cat from another Clan?" A black tom snarled, coming up beside Silverfeather. "We must get revenge!"

"Badgerfoot," a red tabby tom said calmly. "I can't pick up any distinct scent on your son. There aren't any tufts of fur in-between his claws either. Whoever killed him… knew how to clean up after himself and hide his tracks."

"Redbelly," the black and white tom mewed, beckoning the medicine cat with his tail. "Get them some poppy seed for shock. They're going to need it."

"The whole Clan's going to need it, Rushstar," Redbelly replied solemnly, but he went into his den to fetch the small black seeds.

The rest of the Clan was too shocked to speak. They sat a little apart from the grieving parents, wary and frightened. One of them could have been the traitor, the one who killed the young apprentice.

Rushstar jumped up on the ledge of the rock face and looked down at the broken Clan.

"Cats of ThunderClan," he addressed, not needing to summon them. "The death of young Blackpaw is both unexpected and shocking. But we must move forward and we must be strong!"

Despite their leader's strength, the cats still looked uneasy.

"From now on, three cats will be on the nightly patrol," he decided. "Two at the entrance and one walking around. Apprentices must use the buddy system and always have another cat with them. Queens, never take your eyes off of your kits. Warriors must hunt in twos or more."

Everyone was looking more reassured with a plan in place, but Rushstar went on.

"If anyone knows anything about Blackpaw's death, speak now," he demanded, voice hard. A thick silence fell on the Clan only to be broken by a young golden she-cat.

"I-I think I saw… a cat," mewed the little apprentice in a small voice.

"Speak up, Sunpaw," the leader meowed more gently now.

"I saw a large… white tom earlier… I-I don't know if he has anything to do with Blackpaw…"

"Was he a Clan cat?"

"I'm not sure. He did smell kinda funny," she admitted, nose twitching from the memory.

"Thank you, Sunpaw," Rushstar meowed, dipping his head. "Everyone keep an eye out for this white tom. If he's found, escort him to my den immediately."

Rushstar hopped off of the ledge and watched as his Clan began to mourn. But little did they know, the mourning had only just begun.


	3. Chapter 2: Moving On

**Chapter 2**

**Moving On**

* * *

"It's sad, not having Blackpaw around anymore."

The day was bright and warm, the exact opposite of the Clan's sorrowful air. It had been a few days since the death of the young apprentice and although everyone was falling back into routine, nothing was quite the same.

"I know. We used to train together all the time," meowed a brown tabby she-cat. "It's weird not training with him and Ravenfur anymore."

"Poor Ravenfur," Sunpaw sighed.

Ever since the death of his first apprentice, Ravenfur was far less cocky and loud. Sunpaw wished he would just go back to being annoying so things could start to feel normal again.

"And Stonepaw. Blackpaw was his only brother."

"I know… You should have another bite, Leafpaw," Sunpaw coaxed, pushing the half eaten squirrel closer to her friend. Leafpaw wrinkled her nose as if disgusted, but took a small bite anyway.

"Sunpaw, come. It's time to go on patrol," Sunpaw's mentor, Thrushpelt, called.

"Here, you can finish this," the golden apprentice told Leafpaw, pushing the squirrel closer to her before bounding off to meet her pale tabby mentor.

"We're patrolling the WindClan border today," explained Thrushpelt as they began to walk out of camp. Another cat joined them but hung back to allow Thrushpelt to take the lead. "Specklewing, keep an eye out for the white tom."

The tortoiseshell warrior dipped her head and followed as they weaved through the forest. The reminder of the white warrior created an uneasy silence between the three she-cats and brought back memories that haunted Sunpaw.

A loud snap made the cats bristle their fur, and Specklewing even jumped. They paused to check out the source of the noise, then moved forward more slowly and carefully.

"Maybe we should have taken another warrior with us," Specklewing murmured uneasily, ears flat against her head. Sunpaw silently agreed, but her mentor turned on them so suddenly that she froze in her tracks.

"We are warriors, Specklewing. It's time we acted like one," Thrushpelt growled.

The heavy silence that plagued the patrol after Thrushpelt's scolding lasted until they reached the WindClan border. Sunpaw gave Specklewing a reassuring look, a little irritated with Thrushpelt for being so unsympathetic. _I guess some cats grieve differently_, she thought to herself.

All wariness about the white tom dissipated as they focused on renewing the scent on the border and kept a lookout for any WindClan patrols.

"What can you smell, Sunpaw?" Thrushpelt tested as they reached a large boulder.

"Rabbit," Sunpaw mewed slowly, letting the scents flow over her tongue. "Cats. Here not too long ago. A she-cat and two toms."

"Very good," Thrushpelt purred and they carried on.

They walked along the length of the border until the sun got too high in the sky. The next patrol would be coming out, so Thrushpelt led them back to camp. A warm breeze buffeted Sunpaw's fur, making her purr in delight.

Then it hit her.

Out of nowhere, Sunpaw remembered Blackpaw. How they always shared prey next to their favorite rock. How they always made a game out of their hunting excursions. How his golden eyes sparkled with delight when she called his name. He could have been her mate someday, she realized.

Sunpaw shook the thoughts out of her head only to find the two warriors staring at her expectantly.

"Uh, what?"

"I said, you did very well today," Thrushpelt meowed, tail flicking irritably. "Go eat and rest and we'll go hunting after sunhigh."

"Yes, Thrushpelt," Sunpaw said, dipping her head. Embarrassed, she padded over to the fresh kill pile and took the smallest mouse.

She passed by her favorite rock, knowing it would bring back painful memories of Blackpaw, and settled for a spot next to another apprentice, Stonepaw. Sunpaw wasn't really sure what to say to him- he had been Blackpaw's brother- so she just settled beside him and ate her mouse. He flicked his tail in greeting as he took small bites of his prey.

"How are things?" Sunpaw inquired at last, looking over at the gray and white tom. He fixed his blue gaze on her and shrugged.

"Okay I guess. Aspenfur gave me the day off. I wish she hadn't," he admitted, pushing his meal away and resting his head on his paws.

"Well, let's go do something!" she exclaimed as she finished her mouse in a few bites. "Let's go hunt for Oakflower and the kits."

"Would Rushstar be okay with us hunting since Blackpaw's death?" Stonepaw mewed hesitantly, though his blue eyes lit up.

"I don't think Rushstar would mind if we hunted for his mate and kits," Sunpaw purred. "Come on you big lump, let's get go ask Thrushpelt and Aspenfur."

Sunpaw found Thrushpelt sharing tongues with Aspenfur over by Highledge. She tried to be bouncy and confident in front of Stonepaw, but she was a little nervous approaching the she-cats, even if Aspenfur was her own mother.

"Thrushpelt, can me and Stonepaw go hunting?" Sunpaw asked. "We want to hunt for Oakflower."

"I gave Stonepaw the day off," Aspenfur mused, looking over at her apprentice.

"I really want to just get moving," Stonepaw admitted, casting his eyes to the ground.

"Okay, very well. But be careful and keep your senses sharp," Thrushpelt meowed.

Sunpaw nodded and led the way to the camp entrance, Stonepaw on her tail, when her sister, Marigoldpaw, and Sootwhisker padded into camp. Her sister's amber eyes were glowing and she was flicking her tail pleasantly, making Sunpaw uneasy. Sootwhisker was an older tom, a senior warrior, and the last two mates he'd had died while kitting. What was Marigoldpaw doing hanging around him?

"Well, are we going?" asked Stonepaw. She hadn't realized she'd stopped dead in her tracks.

"Yeah, sorry," she meowed briskly, shaking off her feelings of discomfort. "Let's go by the ancient oak!"

"Okay."

Together the two apprentices made their way through the forest, careful to make as little noise as possible. Sunpaw was enjoying the sounds and scents of the forest when a saddening thought came to mind. Had Blackpaw been out hunting and enjoying the forest when he got murdered? She shivered. Suddenly she wished they weren't out hunting without a warrior.

She heard a rustling of leaves and realized Stonepaw was gone._ Great. While you were there lost in thought, you let Stonepaw get away_, she thought worriedly. But a moment later the gray and white tom reappeared with a squirrel hanging from his mouth.

"Nice catch!" she praised. Her friend's tail curled with delight.

Maybe, just maybe with time they would all heal.


	4. Chapter 3: An Elder's Tale

**Chapter 3**

**An Elder's Tale**

* * *

Sunpaw was stretched out near the apprentice's den, warming her fur beneath the sunlight. She had the afternoon off since her and Thrushpelt did the dawn patrol and she was trying to enjoy the break.

All of the other apprentices were out doing things except for Leafpaw, who was curled up in her nest asleep. She and her mentor, Badgerfoot, had joined them on the patrol and for some odd reason Leafpaw wasn't asleep last night when Sunpaw had entered the apprentice's den. Sunpaw didn't want to ask her where she had been though. Perhaps she was still mourning their friend.

A distance away, Rushstar was sharing tongues with the senior warriors. Badgerfoot and Silverfeather were there, but Sunpaw wondered for a moment where Sootwhisker was.

Probably with Marigoldpaw, she thought irritably. And as if on cue, the pair of them padded into camp, jaws stuffed with prey.

"Sootwhisker!" Rushstar called. The dark gray tom dropped his prey in the pile, gave Marigoldpaw a lick on the ears, and padded over to his leader. A bashful Marigoldpaw padded over to Sunpaw with a mouse in her mouth, settling down beside her golden sister.

"Wow, is the prey running today!" Marigoldpaw exclaimed happily, tearing into her plump mouse. "They were practically running right into our paws!"

"Where's Graypaw?" Sunpaw inquired casually. Graypaw, Sootwhisker's sharp-tongued apprentice, was hardly ever with him so it seemed.

"He's out doing battle training with Stonepaw, Aspenfur, and Specklewing," Marigoldpaw said off-handedly, taking another bite.

"Shouldn't Sootwhisker be with his own apprentice?" Sunpaw asked, irritated.

"He's talking with Rushstar."

"Now he is. But before you two were off gallivanting together when he should have been overseeing Graypaw," Sunpaw countered. Why doesn't her sister see that what she's doing just isn't… right? "And shouldn't you be with your mentor?"

"We don't always have to be attached to our mentors at the hip, Sunpaw," Marigoldpaw hissed. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing's my problem," Sunpaw spat. "Maybe you should remember your duties as an apprentice."

She got up and stalked away, her fur bristling with anger. She was mad at Marigoldpaw, mad at Sootwhisker, and even mad at Graypaw- though she was always mad with Graypaw. If only there were someone she could talk to, but Blackpaw was dead and Leafpaw was asleep. Still, she had to find something to take her anger out on, so she went to the Elder's den. Maybe they would have some good stories to distract her.

"Hello, Sunpaw!" an old white tom purred happily. Another cat- a pale gray she-cat with a silver tinged muzzle- stirred in her nest.

"Got any fresh bedding?" the elder asked sleepily.

"Oh stop, Duskcloud," the white tom meowed, shaking his head. "What is it you want, Sunpaw?"

"Can you tell a story?" she asked, her voice tight. She was trying her very hardest not to show her overwhelming anger.

"What would you like to hear about?" the white tom named Snowclaw inquired.

"Anything," she meowed tersely, settling down.

"Okay… how about that time your mother got in trouble?" Snowclaw purred. It was hard for Sunpaw to imagine a time where Aspenfur got in trouble, but her mother had been a cat free of the duties of deputy once. Of course she must have run into trouble at least a couple of times.

And so Snowclaw told the young apprentice a very elaborate story about a once young Aspenpaw. The ginger tabby she-cat had been much smaller than the other apprentices and was sometimes made fun of for it. So one day, she had decided she needed to prove herself to her Clan and peers. She dragged her poor brother- then, Redpaw, a medicine cat apprentice- into the woods one night to go hunt down a fox that had been tormenting the Clan.

Only they had gotten lost. Aspenpaw had been so focused on following the fox's scent trail that she became completely disoriented. Redpaw had wanted them to go back, but by then it was too late. They had found the fox. But there wasn't just one fox. There were two little cubs and a very defensive mother! The two apprentices nearly lost their lives that day.

"How did they survive?" Sunpaw gasped, eyes round with amazement.

"Well, Redbelly is a very fast cat," Snowclaw laughed. "He ran all the way back to camp to fetch warriors while Aspenfur tried not to get eaten."

"That's so reckless. They could have put the whole Clan in danger!"

"Yes, it was reckless," Snowclaw mused. "You know, she had been my apprentice. And I knew from the day we started training that she would be something special to the Clan. And now look! She's deputy and your Uncle is a Medicine Cat! Both very important cats."

"Can I ask you a question, Snowclaw? You knew my mother pretty well… have you any clue who my father is?" Sunpaw asked hesitantly. While Queens weren't required to announce the father of the kits, Sunpaw longed to know who fathered her.

"Now that is something I don't know," Snowclaw replied. "Do you know, Duskcloud?"

"Not a clue," grumbled the old she-cat.

"Okay. Well thank you for the story, Snowclaw!" Sunpaw purred gratefully, dipping her head.

"My pleasure," meowed the tom.

As she turned to leave the den, she heard Duskcloud call, "And next time come with fresh bedding!"


	5. Chapter 4: StarClan's Omen

**Chapter 4**

**StarClan's Omen**

* * *

It had been a couple of days since her quarrel with Marigoldpaw. Things seemed to have cooled off between the two sisters , but Sunpaw still found herself getting angry with her often. So, she had decided it would be best to distance herself from Marigoldpaw until she could figure out the source. And although it had seemed like a good idea, she now found herself on a hunting patrol with the world's most annoying apprentice, Graypaw.

"What can you smell, Graypaw?" asked Sootwhisker.

"Squirrel, starling, thrush… badger!" Graypaw meowed, his ears erect and eyes focused. "But I don't see any nearby so it must be stale."

"We should tell Rushstar," Thrushpelt meowed, looking around to make sure it wasn't lurking in the shadows.

"We should hunt it down!" Graypaw burst, running ahead of the patrol to follow the scent trail.

"Graypaw come back!" Sootwhisker demanded, following his bold apprentice.

"That apprentice needs to learn to follow orders," growled Thrushpelt as she took suit after them. Sighing, Sunpaw followed. If only Graypaw would just be less… annoying.

"…but we could kill it so we wouldn't have to worry Rushstar," Graypaw argued, his amber eyes full of determination. Sunpaw had followed the patrol more slowly and came upon both mentors scolding the flighty apprentice. Although rash, Graypaw meant well. She didn't want to have to worry Rushstar about a badger when everyone was so worried about the white tom, but he had to know.

"We're no match for a badger," Sootwhisker said calmly. "Come now, let's go warn Rushstar so that he can warn the patrols. That is what will help the Clan now."

"And don't you dare disobey," Thushpelt put in. "You're already going to be cleaning out the Elder's den for a moon!"

At last Graypaw looked defeated, muttering a "sorry" before padding after the patrol back to camp. Sunpaw was trying to avoid him on the way back, but he wouldn't let her get off that easy.

"So what're you, too scared to fight off a badger?" Graypaw poked, smirking.

"Of course I'm not scared, I'm just not mouse-brained like you!" she hissed, glaring at the obnoxious tom.

"I'm not mouse-brained. I'm just ready to defend my Clan at all costs, unlike you," he shot back, padding ahead of her a little. She stared at him, shocked he would make such an accusation. "Someday I'll be able to prove my loyalty to ThunderClan. And maybe you'll even have to call me Graystar."

"Oh great, just what ThunderClan needs, a mouse-brained leader," Sunpaw meowed, rolling her eyes. He was worse than Ravenfur!

"I'll be the best leader there ever was," he huffed as they entered camp. "Even better than Firestar."

"No cat could be a better leader than Firestar," Thrushpelt meowed, breaking up their conversation. "Graypaw, you are responsible for cleaning out the Elder's den for a moon. No other cat can help you. This is your punishment for not listening to a warrior's orders."

"Yes Thrushpelt." Graypaw ducked his head. Sunpaw almost felt sorry for him.

"We'll go hunting later, Sunpaw," Thrushpelt vowed. "Now go get some rest."

Sunpaw watched as their two mentors padded over to Rushstar's den to relay the news about the badger. It was just her and Graypaw now. Before he walked away, she wanted to reach out to him… their quarrel bothered her somehow.

"Hey listen, I can help out here and there if you'd like," she offered, looking over at the gray tabby tom. But he just casted her a look and shook his head.

"I don't need your help." And he padded away.

Sunpaw sighed and brought a piece of fresh kill to Oakflower before settling down in her nest. If only Blackpaw were here. He would calm her down if Graypaw rubbed her fur the wrong way. But he's not here, so might as well deal with it, she thought sourly, letting her mind drift away to sleep.

When Sunpaw woke up the sun was beginning to go down. She jumped up in alarm and hurried out of the apprentices den, hoping Thrushpelt wasn't angry with her. The camp was quite though, and the fresh kill pile was full. Sunpaw sighed with relief and reveled in the peacefulness, however deceiving it was.

That was when she heard the yowl. Heart racing, Sunpaw ran in the direction of the sound, barely aware that other cats were stirring from their nests. As she got closer and closer to where the yowl came from, she heard more hissing and smelled the thick scent of blood.

And there he was. That big white tom standing over a wounded ThunderClan warrior.

Finchtail.

The white tom fixed his crisp blue gaze on her before turning away and fleeing. Sunpaw wanted to follow and avenge Blackpaw's death, but she knew she needed to get help for Finchtail. The brown tabby tom with still alive and moaning softly, making Sunpaw's heart twist with sorrow.

"Finchtail?" she meowed gently, rushing over to his side. His flank was bleeding heavily, but the rest of him seemed fine. The young warrior trained his green eyes on her and she was surprised by how dull they looked. Usually they were bright. "Finchtail, I'm going to go get Redbelly!"

"No," gurgled the tom, extending his paw to touch her leg. "No time…"

"No, Finchtail!" she shrieked. "No! Someone, help!"

"It'll- be okay," Finchtail rasped. Sunpaw crouched down by the tom and liked his cheek gently. They had trained together. He had only just become a warrior. Too young, StarClan. Let him live!

But the life was already draining out of Finchtail and soon his breathing stopped. Heart aching, Sunpaw raced back to camp with a heavy heart and went right to Rushstar's den.

"Rushstar! Finchtail died!" she called, voice cracking.

"What? How?" he asked, meeting her outside his den.

"The white tom killed him. I found him standing over Finchtail. He ran away," she informed him, voice filled with grief.

"Show me the way."

They summoned Redbelly and Badgerfoot and together the four cats left camp. Sunpaw felt a little unsettled leading the important group of cats, but more prominent was her overwhelming grief of watching her friend be murdered.

As they approached the spot where Finchtail's body lay, Sunpaw braced herself. It was a gruesome sight that was sure to haunt her for days to come. In the distance, one of the border patrols was heading their way, coming to the source of the commotion. Sunpaw's patrol just stood there frozen as their eyes took in the bloody scene. Only Redbelly stepped forward to inspect the fallen warrior.

"He's with StarClan," Redbelly affirmed, touching his nose to the young tabby's fur. Suddenly, his entire body visibly stiffened, making Sunpaw's heart race frantically.

"Redbelly?" Rushstar meowed calmly, though his fur was bristling.

The red medicine cat got up slowly and fixed his amber gaze on them. Although his gaze wasn't amber like it normally was. Instead it was silver and filled with stars.

"A message from StarClan. Only light can expose the darkness."


End file.
